How to convert from Windows withOUT using the cloud (edited for readability)

Jon Y

I'm a QFW user and wanted to try QFM. I've got the latest version on both as a subscription. I installed QFM on my Mac running Catalina and started the exporting/importing of my QFW QDF file. It quickly took it to the Quicken cloud and then after almost an hour, I canceled it. Yes, the QDF file is large, but seriously!! So, I figured that this was because Quicken didn't want to bother to create a 64-bit convertor so I went to a partition that has Mojave on it and installed QFM there. To my surprise, it also wants to use the Quicken Cloud for the conversion. I've tried this a few times today and have spent hours trying to get the conversion done. So, I just canceled it. Is there no way to convert from QFW to QFM withOUT using Quicken Cloud? Does this process seriously take this long?

plaklm4504

Successful workaround! Open the Windows file and export to QXF format. Then open QMac and import the QXF file you just created. You will get a window with a message that informs you that the Windows file was converted with an older conversion software and recommends that you use their newer one. Choose to continue with export. It works! I haven't checked for accuracy, but it looks good so far.

smayer97

Another update: confirmation by Quicken that "The cloud converter does not save, retain or store any data." The data file securely uploaded to the cloud is deleted when the conversion is completed.

smayer97

smayer97 said:

I'm inquiring with Quicken. Will report back if I get any info.

It has been confirmed by Quicken that ALL conversions from QWin into QMac are now performed via the Quicken Cloud, regardless of what version of macOS you are running.

The only around this is to export QWin data to QXF manually, then import the QXF data file into QMac, as @plaklm4504 describes.

smayer97

We were told that the online cloud conversion only applied to Catalina conversions and would still work locally otherwise, so this is news.

Jon Y

Wonder if it's new with QFM 2020? I was definitely on a Mojave partition and the only option it gave me, after selecting the QDF file was to use the cloud.

smayer97

I'm inquiring with Quicken. Will report back if I get any info.

Jon Y

Thanx...

It has to be the new version. I have a Mac that has an even older version of the OS and when I try and import my Windows QDF file, I get the same prompt about using Quicken Cloud. I'm not opposed to doing that, as long as it doesn't keep a copy of my data there, but it's just that after an hour and I'm still waiting for it to do anything but upload the Windows data; I think that's just not right.

craiglenarz

I too am trying to convert my qdf file to mac compatible and it tells me after a while of trying to download from the cloud that my version Catalina is not compatible? Need help to convert from QDF to mac compatible without the cloud. Please help

plaklm4504

I am having the same experience as Jon Y. Running Mohave, QDF file gets extracted, then seems to freeze in the second half of the converting process. I tried several times and gave the process 4 hours.

plaklm4504

Running Mohave. I am trying to convert a Windows QDF into QMac. I follow the steps; choose the QDF file; am informed that Quicken Cloud must be used to convert (no other option); the file is extracted; next window informs that the next process may take "a few minutes" and to be patient. Nothing is happening after that! Have been very patient --hours! Seems like something is wrong.

Jon Y

As a test, I started the conversion on a Mac running Sierra. As noted above, the process still wants to use the Quicken cloud. Since I was going to be at church this morning, I just let it ran. I'm back now from church and lunch and just checked it and it's still running some almost 4 hours laters. I just canceled it. My perspective is that this process is seriously broken and Quicken really needs to fix it or provide a local Mac way to convert.

plaklm4504

Successful workaround! Open the Windows file and export to QXF format. Then open QMac and import the QXF file you just created. You will get a window with a message that informs you that the Windows file was converted with an older conversion software and recommends that you use their newer one. Choose to continue with export. It works! I haven't checked for accuracy, but it looks good so far.

Jon Y

Thanx... I'll give that a shot

Jon Y

I'll need to go thru all of the accounts to make sure they're all there and the balances are accurate, but it looks like using the QXF import worked; thanx...

The only thing that I've found so far is that I use the check # field for more than just checks. I put in DEP for Deposit and EFT for Electronic Funds Transfer and a few other things. I've tested adding one of those to a new transaction, but any reason why it wouldn't have captured those along with everything else?

And while this is a good solution, I find it inexcusable that Quicken would have such an obvious glaring issue in their wizard. And it's obviously not just a Catalina thing.

Jon Y

On another note, anyway to NOT sync with the Quicken Cloud? It's apparently set up a cloud account for me and has synced my accounts, which I do NOT want to do. I can see the account listed as a synced cloud account, but it won't let me delete it.

smayer97

Jon Y said:

I'll need to go thru all of the accounts to make sure they're all there and the balances are accurate, but it looks like using the QXF import worked; thanx...

The only thing that I've found so far is that I use the check # field for more than just checks. I put in DEP for Deposit and EFT for Electronic Funds Transfer and a few other things. I've tested adding one of those to a new transaction, but any reason why it wouldn't have captured those along with everything else?

And while this is a good solution, I find it inexcusable that Quicken would have such an obvious glaring issue in their wizard. And it's obviously not just a Catalina thing.

In QMac, there are 2 separate fields, Check # and Action field. You simply have to show the Action field.

smayer97

Jon Y said:

On another note, anyway to NOT sync with the Quicken Cloud? It's apparently set up a cloud account for me and has synced my accounts, which I do NOT want to do. I can see the account listed as a synced cloud account, but it won't let me delete it.

At the very least, it should allow this for Mojave or older macOS users.

As for the Cloud account, an account is ALWAYS created with the new subscription. What is not clear is whether any data is synced the cloud account as part of the conversion... as opposed to the typically sync to cloud for use with QMobile or QWeb.

It would be good to get some clarity on that.

Jon Y

@smayer97, thanx, I'll look at the action field when I get home tonight. Also, I'll contact support about the cloud issue. I suppose it's possible when I was doing some post install setup, I told it to sync; but I'd think I'd be able to delete it. Anyway, I'll contact Quicken and also ask about the issue with the wizard.

Jon Y

So, here's an interesting update. I decided to contact support tonight and tell them my story and what we found and complain about the whole update process as being broken. The tech asked me what versions I was using and then he said that the correct way to do this was to create a backup of the Windows data, transfer it to the Mac and then open Quicken and drop the backup into Quicken. He said that it would prompt me to use the Quicken Cloud and that it would process as it should. I was very skeptical, and brought this up to him, since the end product was the very thing I'd been trying to do all weekend. I also told him that once I'd tried the wizard and selected a backup file instead of the QDF file and it had also failed.

But I figured it wouldn't hurt anything. So I did as he suggested and, to my surprise, within less than a minute, it had converted the Windows data and was downloading it to my QFM. The importing looked exactly like what we'd see using the QFX file. So, once it was done, I deleted the new QFM data file and went thru the wizard again, selecting a QDF file, and this time it worked just like it was supposed to work.

I'm suspecting that Quicken had some issue with the conversion this weekend or, someone else complained and they fixed something.

smayer97

Sounds like it. Glad it worked out.

Jon Y

Yes... thanx for all the help from everyone.

smayer97

Another update: confirmation by Quicken that "The cloud converter does not save, retain or store any data." The data file securely uploaded to the cloud is deleted when the conversion is completed.

Jon Y

Thanx for that added info.

smayer97

smayer97 said:

I'm inquiring with Quicken. Will report back if I get any info.

It has been confirmed by Quicken that ALL conversions from QWin into QMac are now performed via the Quicken Cloud, regardless of what version of macOS you are running.

The only around this is to export QWin data to QXF manually, then import the QXF data file into QMac, as @plaklm4504 describes.